Children's music refers to music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has historically held both entertainment and educational functions.

Children's music is often designed to provide an entertaining means of teaching children about their culture, other cultures, good behavior, facts and skills. Many are folk songs, but there is a whole genre of educational music that has become increasingly popular. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning to cultivate), generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. ... Educational music, largely a form of childrens music, has been shown in research to promote learning. ...

Early recordings for children

Recordings for children were intertwined with recorded music for as long as it has existed as a medium. The first words ever recorded (in 1877 by Thomas Alva Edison) was the first verse of "Mary Had A Little Lamb". In 1888, the first recorded discs (called "plates") offered for sale included Mother Goose nursery rhymes. The earliest record catalogues of several seminal figures in the recording industry such as Edison, Berliner, and Victor all contained separate children's sections. 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 - October 18, 1931) was an inventor and businessman who developed many important devices. ... 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... A page from a late 17th century handwritten and illustrated version of Charles Perraults Contes de ma mère lOye (Mother Goose Tales) depicting Puss in Boots. ...

Throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s record companies continued to produce albums for kids. Such companies as: Walt Disney, RCA Victor, Decca Records, Capitol Records, Warner Brothers and Columbia Records (among others) published albums based on popular cartoons or nursery rhymes. Often the albums were read-alongs that contained booklets that children could follow along with. Many of the biggest names in theater, radio, and motion pictures were featured on these albums, such as: Bing Crosby, Harold Peary ("The Great Gildersleeve"), Orson Welles, Don Doolitle, Jeanette MacDonald, Roy Rogers, Fanny Brice, Bill Boyd, Ingrid Bergman, and Fredric March.hello The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949. ... // Recovering from World War II and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ... For the company founded by Disney, see The Walt Disney Company. ... RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. ... It has been suggested that Decca Music Group be merged into this article or section. ... Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the... Warner Bros. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Harry Lillis Bing Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death in 1977. ... Harold Hal Peary (born Harrold Jese Pereira de Faria, July 25, 1908 - March 30, 1985) was an American actor and comedian in radio, film, television, and animation, best known as the original portrayer of Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, aka The Great Gildersleeve. ... George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American theatre, screenwriter and film producer and director, and a theatre, radio and film actor. ... Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was a singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (Love Me Tonight, The Merry Widow) and Nelson Eddy (Naughty Marietta, Rose Marie, and Maytime). ... Dale Evans & Roy Rogers Leonard Franklin Slye (November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), became famous as Roy Rogers, a singer and cowboy actor. ... Fanny Brice, early Ziegfeld Follies portrait photograph // Biography Fanny Brice (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951) was a United States comedienne, singer, and entertainer. ... Bill Boyd (?-November 21, 1997) was a professional poker player. ...   (pronounced in Swedish, but usually in English, IPA notation) (August 29, 1915 – August 29, 1982) was a three-time Academy Award-winning Swedish actress. ... Fredric March photograph by Carl Van Vechten, 1939 Fredric March (August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was a two-time Academy Award-winning American actor. ...

Growth during the 20th century

The mid-20th century arrival of the baby boomers provided a growing market for children's music as a separate genre. Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Ella Jenkins were among a cadre of politically progressive and socially conscious performers who aimed albums to this group. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Pete Seeger (1955) Peter Seeger (born May 3, 1919) almost universally known as Pete Seeger, is a folk singer and political activist. ... Ella Jenkins, born August 6, 1924, is known as The First Lady of Childrens Music. She released her first album Call and Response: Rythmic group singing in 1957 on Folkways Records and she has gone on to release 31 albums. ...

During this time, such novelty recordings as "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (a Montgomery Ward jingle that became a book and later a classic children's movie) and the fictional music group "The Chipmunks" were among the most commercially successful music ventures of the time ("The Chipmunk Song" was a #1 hit single in 1958). Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a popular Christmas story that has been told in numerous forms including songs and theatrical and television films. ... Montgomery Ward (later known as Wards) was an American department store chain, founded as the worlds first mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the 1960s, as the baby boomers matured and became more politically aware, they embraced both the substance and politics of folk ("the people's") music. Peter, Paul, and Mary, The Limeliters, and Tom Paxton were acclaimed folk artists who wrote albums for children. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Peter, Paul and Mary (often PP&M) was one of the most successful folk-singing groups of the 1960s. ... The Limeliters are a folk music group formed in July, 1959 by Louis Gottlieb (bass), Alex Hassilev (baritone), and Glenn Yarborough (tenor). ... Thomas R. Paxton was born October 31, 1937 in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest child of Burton and Esther Paxton. ...

In 1969, Jim Henson launched Sesame Street, a television show for children featuring his famous Muppet characters. Although mostly new Muppets were created for the show, some of the original characters would infrequently make cameo appearances. The program became extremely popular and was cited by many as having a profound effect on American culture since its debut. [1] The quality of Sesame Street's children's music (much of it created by noted composer Jeff Moss) has dominated the children's music landscape to this day - the show has won 11 Grammy Awards. The Muppets have also been featured in several motion pictures. For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... For the company founded by Henson, see The Jim Henson Company. ... Sesame Street is an American educational childrens television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. ... John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together The Muppets are a group of puppets and costume characters created by Jim Henson and the company he created. ... Sesame Street is an American educational childrens television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. ... Jeff Moss (June 19, 1942–September 24, 1998) helped to create the childrens television series Sesame Street. ... Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music... The Muppets are a group of puppets and costume characters, and the company created by Jim Henson. ...

Children's music gained an even wider audience in the 1970s when musical features such as Schoolhouse Rock! and the original Letter People were featured on network and public television, respectively. These represented an effort to make music that taught specific lessons about Math, History, and English to youngsters through the high-quality, award-winning music. The classic public television children's show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood had music heavily featured as well. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Schoolhouse Rock! is a series of 46 educational short films featuring songs about schoolhouse topics, including grammar, science, economics, history, and politics. ... Reverend Frederick McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was an American educator, minister, songwriter and television host. ...

In the late 1970s, Canadian artist Raffi Cavoukian coincided with the rise of children's music as a distinct music industry genre. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Raffi on the cover of his album Bananaphone Raffi Cavoukian, OC, OBC (born July 8, 1948), usually known simply as Raffi, is a popular childrens entertainer in Canada, the United States, and the Western world at large. ...

Beginning in the second-half of the 20th century, there are many examples of music stars in other genres crossing-over and making successful children's music albums. Though they are sometimes altruistic ventures, many of these records could be seen as vanity type projects with little substance. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...

Recent history

In the United States, Children's music continues to be a force in the commercial music industry. At one point in early 2006, the top three albums on the Billboard charts were all children's music: Disney's High School Musical soundtrack, Kidz Bop 9, and the Curious George film soundtrack.[2] Most albums targeted nationally to children are soundtracks for motion pictures or symbiotic marketing projects involving mass-marketed acts such as The Wiggles or Veggie Tales. The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. ... High School Musical is an American made-for-television musical film, produced and distributed by Disney Channel, and was released on January 20, 2006. ... The cover for the first Kidz Bop album. ... Curious George is a traditionally-animated film version of the classic childrens stories by H.A. and Margret Rey. ... The Wiggles are an Australian band that specializes in childrens entertainment. ... Veggie Tales is a series of childrens books and computer animated videos conveying Christian ideals to children via humorous, anthropomorphic vegetable-shaped characters. ...

The 21st century has also seen an increase in the number of independent children's music artists, with acts like Dan Zanes, Cathy Bollinger, and Laurie Berkner getting wide exposure on cable TV channels targeted to kids. Trout Fishing in America has achieved much acclaim continuing the tradition of merging sophisticated folk music with family-friendly lyrics; and Ralph's world and Kids Imagine Inc. represents the more recent phenomenon of putting kid-friendly lyrics to rock and roll songs. Also recently, traditionally rock-oriented acts like They Might Be Giants have released albums marketed directly to children, such as No! and Here Come the ABCs. Dan Zanes was the lead singer of the eighties pop band The Del Fuegos. ... Caption Laurie Berkner (b. ... Trout Fishing in America is a two-man folk-rock musical group that performs childrens music as well as some music aimed at adults. ... They Might Be Giants (commonly abbreviated to TMBG) is an American alternative rock duo consisting of John Linnell and John Flansburgh that formed in 1982. ... No! is the first album of childrens music by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. ... Here Come The ABCs is a 2005 DVD & Audio CD release by They Might Be Giants, aimed at young children learning the alphabet. ...

Perhaps most commercially successful of all is the Kidz Bop series, which features kids singing popular chart hits. Though not without controversy for including questionable lyrics which some feel are inappropriate for children, the ninth installment of Kidz Bop nonetheless debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 charts in 2006.

External links

• Kiddie Records Weekly - Recordings and case images from children's records of the 1940's and 1950's